Modules & Upstream Manufacturing

The National Energy Administration (NEA) says China installed 61.21 GW of solar in the first five months of this year, bringing the nation to nearly 453 GW of cumulative installed PV capacity by the end of May.

IEA-PVPS has published a report to help the solar industry to choose appropriate surface radiation models and data providers based on location and application requirements.

Scientists in India have proposed a new concept that improves the yield of rooftop PV systems under partial shading. This concept combines conventional total cross-tied (TCT) techniques with partial power processing converters (PPPCs), using a resonant switched capacitor converter (RSC) and a switch inductor converter (SLC).

Qatari researchers have incorporated an electron transport layer (ETL) made of tin(IV) oxide into a perovskite solar cell through air-thermal-annealing, resulting in better efficiency and stability. The device demonstrated an open-circuit voltage of 1.045 V, a short-circuit current of 22.01 mA/cm2, and a fill factor of 74.3%.

The new manufacturing facility is located in Thai Binh and will produce modules mainly for the US market. It currently has a capacity of 500 MW and is expected to reach 3 GW within 12 months

Sunova Solar is offering five versions of its new bifacial dual glass solar panels, with power outputs ranging from 585 W to 605 W and efficiencies of 22.1% to 22.9%. They feature 144 n-type monocrystalline TOPCon solar cells.

Researchers in Saudi Arabia have conducted a series of tests to investigate the temperature coefficient of the short circuit current in perovskite-silicon tandem solar cells and have found that it may not be considered a proper metric to assess these devices’ performance and behavior.

Asier Ukar, the director of PI Berlin Spain, discusses the importance of addressing the risks associated with tunnel oxide passivated contact (TOPCon) tech early on, even though it outperforms (passivated emitter rear contact (PERC) when considering standard and tangible indicators.

Scientists in India carried out a comprehensive study into the impacts of soiling on PV modules – measuring the amount of performance loss caused by different types of dust and bird droppings, and for modules installed at various tilt angles, in the hot-dry climate of Vellore in southern India. Their findings could allow developers to better take into account and mitigate the effects of soiling during site selection and system design.

Cliantech Solutions has agreed to supply a 600 MW, turnkey PV panel production line to Dubai-based Magnus Green Solar.